After meeting up with my cousin Kristine at Dupont Circle, we hightailed it to 2 Amys for pristine pies. Even though my belly was filled nearly to the brim, leaving D.C. without a meal here would’ve been a travesty.

2 Amys serves what is arguably the best pizza in The District. The restaurant is a member of the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, which was established “to protect and promote authentic Neapolitan pizza and defend its Neapolitan origins and traditions.” This means that the restaurant only uses soft-grain flour, fresh yeast, water, and sea salt in its dough, and only Italian plum tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and dried oregano for toppings. Furthermore, all pizzas are cooked in a wood-burning oven.

The folks at 2 Amys have been rewarded for their serious pizza making efforts with legions of devoted fans and lots of great press.

We arrived at the restaurant sometime after the Saturday lunch rush and were seated immediately at a table by the window. Kristine insisted that we sample some small bites before diving into pizzas, and I wholeheartedly agreed.

The pork rillettes ($6) arrived in chunk-form, dressed with a bit of olive oil and flaky salt. A few snappy cornichons were served on the side for balance. We slathered the pork onto some bread and savored the creamy fat embedded with shredded meat. Try as I might to stuff more than a bite of this into my system, it was too rich for my current state. My cousin stepped up to the plate and manhandled the decadent plateful of pork.

The smoked swordfish with olive and fennel ($6) was lighter, fresher, and thus more to my liking this afternoon. The fish was thickly cut and wonderfully smoky. I loved how the curing process transformed the meaty flesh into something completely supple.

For our main entree, Kristine and I shared the vongole (clams) pizza with garlic, capers, parsley, hot pepper, and grana cheese ($12.95). The pizza smelled and looked absolutely fantastic. The oven’s blistering heat charred the crust just right and toasted the toppings beautifully. The thin slices of garlic emitted a most lovely aroma. I was surprised to see the clams still nestled in their shells, but had high hopes for the pizza nevertheless.

A little chewy and a touch complex, the crust met my expectations completely. The toppings were great as well, but I couldn’t help but wonder if the clammy flavors would’ve been more pronounced without those pesky shells soaking up the delicious juices. Between the two of us, we managed to polish off two-thirds of the pie. Lucky Kristine got to walk away with the leftovers.

After our meal at 2 Amys, we caught a bus to Georgetown in search of a sweet finish…